A Running Girl's Blog

Archive for the ‘all things work out related’ Category

While I am kind of just running right now with no near term race goal, my running strategy loosely follows a typical training plan for a half marathon – about 4 days of running including a long weekend run of 8-12 miles, an interval run and a couple of tempo/easy runs.  I don’t have a race scheduled but I am sure I will find something that I want to run soon – at least I will be ready for anything up to a half marathon distance, right?  I am relatively injury – free (knock on wood) with the exception of some pain in my hip – particularly on downhills.  I’ve logged about 30 miles on my new pink kicks that I got just last week

The Seattle Rock n’ Roll Marathon is on June 26, 2010 and I’ve been debating the full vs. the half.  I ran the half marathon last year. This debate is a blog post in and of itself…

 (concerns: several out and backs and hills in the 2^nd half)

 On the food front, veganism gets easier and easier especially with articles like these popping up in the news regularly: 

• Meat Safety: How Well Done?  Chicago Tribune , January 21, 2010
• California Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination, USDA website, January 18, 2010
• Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned, New York  Times, December 29, 2009

I do have to remind myself that there is a fine line between being a vegan and an activist.  I think many veg/vegans want to share what they learn about the meat industry, the factory farming abuses, the health issues, the humanity issues etc.. etc… easily becoming an activist or vegevangelist as I’ve come to identify myself on occasion.    But many people simple don’t want to know: “don’t tell me,  “I don’t want to know…”   And on some level, I guess I can relate to the sentiment.  After all, didn’t I run around as a cheese loving vegetarian for the last 20 years – living happily in the dark about the realities of the quality and health risks of milk/dairy and horrific abuses of dairy cows and their little babies? 

 It’s hard, however, to “not know” these days.  The media reports, bloggers like Erik Marcus with his popular and informative blog: http://www.vegan.com/,  best selling books like Jonathan Safran Foer’s  “Eating Animals” all report the realities of the meat, dairy and egg industries and all through mainstream media outlets.   These are the pros, the people I will quote or point to their links for all things vegan…. and that will be the extent of my vege- evangelism.  Unless of course, you do want to know – then I would love to share thoughts, ideas, concerns and recipes!

To be honest, evangelism in general has never been a favorite thing of mine and despite my passionate views on animal factory farming methods, if you dont’ want to know, then you don’t want to know and it makes me uncomfortable to be the one that others might point at and whisper “why that sanctimonious vegan __________!”    

We are well into January and I have finally stopped dating things with ’09 and started using ’10 consistently.   I didn’t make any big resolutions for the New Year but I did decide to go vegan about a month ago and so far, so good.  The things that I thought were going to be hard haven’t really proven to be a problem at all – namely giving up cheese.  I don’t miss it.  Every once in a while I miss pizza but Amy’s makes a great vegan frozen pizza that hits the spot when I have the craving.  

The more difficult part of this journey has been the realization that so many of our foods have dairy, milk byproduct, egg or egg byproduct in them – even many of the vegetarian convenience foods that Morning Star and Boca offer in the frozen food aisle.  So I have become an obsessive nutrition label reader.  I have learned to look for the “vegan” label.  And I have really reduced my consumption of convenience foods.  More often than not, as a vegan, if I want something good, I have to make it myself.   

One big example: my favorite Mix 1 drinks contain whey, a milk byproduct from the cheese making process – this was a big blow initially but I did my research and discovered that hemp is a more perfect protein than whey and hemp powder is readily available locally. There aren’t any ready made hemp shakes that I can grab while running out the door, but I can make a delicious soy/hemp shake with just a little bit of planning.  Plus all the predictable hemp jokes are fun.   So going vegan hasn’t been difficult in terms of any feeling of deprivation… it’s just a more thought out diet, one that requires a bit more planning. 

 (hemp protein you drink it, not smoke it )

One byproduct of my vegan journey is that my kids have decided to be vegheads.  Not big meat eaters to begin with, they have decided to become vegetarian (not vegan).   I was rather disheartened the other day though when my high school son came home to tell me he skipped lunch because there were simply no vegetarian options available at school– the situation in our school cafeterias is unbelievable.   He normally packs a lunch – but the option to buy was a nice convenience … again, the veg diet is not always a convenient one. 

One more new thing for 2010 – in 2009, I ran in Asics Gel Kayano 15s…  I went thru 3 baby blue pairs… the last ones just hitting 400+ miles at the end of the year.  So last weekend, I went to the shoe store and the Gel Kayano 15s are marked down since the 16s are out now.  As I was getting ready to buy my fourth pair of these baby blue shoes, I eyed the Kayano 16s… the shoe guy was explaining all the new features to me.  I wasn’t really listening though – I was pretty much sold when I saw they are pink with a groovy disco pattern in the background.  After all it’s a new year, right?

 After spending weeks, actually months on the hold list at the local library for Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, I finally headed out to Borders with my 40% off coupon and bought it.  I figured if this book generates a months long wait list at the library, it must be worth it – and it was …and more. 

There are so many book reviews for Born to Run and I don’t have anything profound to add to the words of praise already written about this book.  I can only say that I was at times incredulous, more often inspired, awed and impressed by this story.  I fell in love with the Tarahumara, their will, their joy for running and life. 

The journey begins with the author, Christopher McDougall’s quest to run free of constant foot pain attributed to running.  McDougall, despite more than one contradictory diagnosis from doctors (including a prescription to ditch his running shoes and pick up a bike) doesn’t give up; instead he begins a journey to find the key to running without injury.

What follows is an incredible story, unbelievable characters including a barefoot runner named Ted, a couple of hard-partying ultra runners and a self-exiled, gringo Tarahumara, and amazing races in the most extreme conditions.  McDougall argues that until the advent of the modern running age with its vast array of gel-supported stability shoes, humans ran free of pain.  He discovers and learns first hand about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico who run hundreds of miles in little more than bare feet (thin rubber soled sandals).  These super athletes run through the treacherous Copper Canyons with out pain and with what can only be described as joy. From here McDougall’s journey takes us through ultra marathons (I thoroughly enjoyed paging through the story of the Leadville 100… an ultra marathon right in my backyard), the concept of barefoot running, primarily vegan diets and finally, the ultimate race in the Copper Canyons.

Even though I will never even come close to being an ultra runner or super athlete, somehow reading this book made me feel like a runner… whether you are a runner or not, check out this book – it’s inspiring.

I recently celebrated the fact that I’ve run 1000 miles so far in 2009.  I reached this milestone in large part while training for various races.  Tempo runs, intervals, long runs etc… and often, I just ran – laced up and hit the road – logging a lot of what I recently recognized as junk miles. 

Junk Mile – [juhngk mahyl] - noun – a run at an easy pace inserted into a program in order to reach a weekly or monthly mileage total rather than for any specific benefit.

More loosely defined, junk miles are miles that are logged without a specific purpose. Many trainers and training programs disparage these miles and there are some really good training programs out there that prepare athletes to run marathons while running as little as 3 days a week – speed work out, pace and longer run for example.  By all accounts, these training plans help runners stay injury free and there are many testimonials of PR marathons using these methods.  Clearly these athletes benefit from eliminating the junk miles from their training diets. 

When I trained for my marathon in May, I used Hal Higdon’s novice plan.  I ran about 4 times a week, cheated by cross training on rest days and went from an average of 19 miles a week to about 40 miles during my peak training.  Arguably, some of these miles could’ve been considered junk.  It was my first full marathon, so I have nothing to compare it with, but I ran a pretty good race that could’ve been better with a little planning (food, hotel etc) but the training was without fault – I was prepared.  Marathon: Race Report.   

The reality for me is that I am a recreational runner who participates in races. I often run for the enjoyment of it – logging a bunch of junk.  I like junk miles – lacing up, running with no purpose other than stress relief, relaxation and the achievement of miles logged.  I guess I am a junky.

today’s run was more tempo than junk

When I finally decide to run another full marathon, I will research some of these other plans and alternatives.  In the meantime, I will indulge in my junk miles.  Not all plans considered these miles to be totally worthless. In fact, the guru behind the training plans that I use, Hal Higdon, believes that that these miles may have an overlooked value: Junk Miles, by Hal Higdon

Two of the lines that resonated with me :

“because when I do, there is always the chance to be extraordinary”

“because when I give everything, it means everything”

 enjoy

great video

I know everyone has their own way of tracking their runs and other work outs.  I had a few:

• I had my software that comes with my Garmin to log my runs
• I used this blog to log cross training, yoga and weight workouts
• I also used a very basic Facebook application called RunLogger to log miles/pace because my Garmin didn’t keep track of my treadmill runs

My stuff was everywhere, in duplicate.  Recently, I stumbled upon another tool: RunningAHEAD – a comprehensive tracking and training tool for running, swimming and biking.   This app integrates with my blog (see new box in the side bar) and also has a Facebook application if you want to share your information with your runner friends out there.  I can log: my distance, my pace, the weather, the route.  The tool includes a feature to break down interval workouts.  Race statistics allow me to keep track of my races, how I did overall, in my age group, and in my gender group…it also lists PRs.  Cross training workouts can be documented in the notes section.  There is also Garmin Forerunner integration and it looks like you can run reports.   Last night, I transferred all my runs from 2009 into the new application – nice trip down memory lane.   On my training tab, I now can see a summary, monthly stats and graphical displays.  I haven’t explored all the features of RunningAHEAD yet – but so far, it seems pretty cool.  So I am retiring RunLogger on Facebook as well as the Work-it Out-tab on this blog and giving this new tool a shot. 

2009 in a picture

From the creators of the popular refrain: “Just Do It” some more words of motivation for your Monday (I found this Nike quote on a fellow runner’s blog). 

“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted.  You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.  You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles.  Some days more, some days less.  You rewarded a long run with a short run.  And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you.  Sun tried to microwave you.  Snow made you feel like a warrior.  You cramped.  You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends.  On holidays.  You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games.  Put your heart before your knees.  Listened to your breathing.  Sweat sunscreen into your eyes.  Worked on your farmer’s tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it.  You decided to be woman about it.  Finished what you started.  Proved what you were made of.  Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer… and we ran with you. How much farther will we go?  As far as you will.”

People are talking about the change in the weather… yeah, I am gonna blog about the weather.  It’s cold.  On Saturday, I ran a PR 5K under sunny skies and 70 degree temps.  It was great.  Sunday was equally beautiful and my husband and I made plans to hike the Incline the following morning since he had taken the day off. 

Of course Monday, we woke up to cloudy skies, drizzle and temps in the upper 30s.  No problem, I thought… I’ve done a 20 miler in the snow, what’s a little rain?  I prepared my crock-pot for an unexpectedly appropriate harvest stew for dinner, and sat down to chill for a minute with my oatmeal and coffee.   Sipping my coffee, I logged onto Facebook and all my Colorado friends were talking about the weather… status updates regarding the cold, the rain and the snow … snow?  Ugh – I wasn’t ready for that one.  We still set out for our hike anticipating a little rain, maybe some light flurries… as you can see from some of our photos, we encountered a bit more than that:

See we’re diehards… or nuts – or just plain stubborn…I wasn’t ready for this so soon.  Getting out of my sweat pants and out the door is hard for me when it’s cold and gray.   Usually, once I am warmed up and running, the runs are pretty fantastic – to be honest, better than when it’s too hot.   Monday’s Incline hike was fun… we had the mountain to ourselves… it was so quiet, and admittedly, the premature snow was picturesque… the hot shower, soup after the work out were so satisfying…felt earned.  

an awesome lunch at Wooglins after the snowy Incline

I totally will myself not to be a couch potato during the winter days… but it is a big challenge for me on those bitter cold, cloudy days.   I stayed motivated during this past  spring (a pretty snowy one) by training for a marathon (remember snow storm 20 miler).  On the worst of days, I reluctantly climbed onto a treadmill. But it wasn’t easy…at all.   Fortunately, this is Colorado and the weekend promises warmer temps and sunny skies. .. as for motivation this winter, I will continue to run and put some more races on the schedule .

The full marathon is on my mind .- but I am still having an internal debate on that decision.  I sit totally on the fence – in fact, that is a story for another day… stay tuned.

I enjoyed the most fabulous, idyllic weekend in San Diego at a friend’s beach house.  Just a couple of nights of good company, ocean breezes, the sound of the waves and unbelievable views of the Pacific Ocean.   I sat on my lounge chair and watched the surfers and beach runners – from what I witnessed; San Diego is a very fit city.  Of course the weekend included a run – an easy 5-miler through the neighborhood streets…. I never pass up an opportunity to run at sea level.  Yesterday, we spent the afternoon traveling back to real life – planes, trains and automobiles…. got home, caught up on laundry, kids’ school work, housework – like I said, real life. 

I got my gym bag ready to go for Monday morning only to wake up feeling a bit under the weather.   Not full–on flu style or anything but a little achy, very tired and lethargic.  I took some ibuprofen in the morning, skipped the gym and counted on feeling better later … hoping to get in at least a light run or work out at some point.   It never happened.  The lethargy stayed with me all day.  I felt better when the Motrin kicked in but really just longed for a nap most of the day…I ended up spending the day snoozing, watching Weeds and surfing all the internets.  It’s hard to express how hard this is for me without seeming like I am totally crazy.  I hate skipping a work out – I usually take a day off during the week –but I already had that day (Sunday’s travel day).  Two days in a row wreaks havoc on my psyche … I am totally OCD about this stuff.  I fear losing fitness, muscle tone, flab – I know, a little over the top.  I had convos in my head all day -  I didn’t feel  that bad I told myself – but then I just couldn’t get the mojo to get moving… finally I gave up, skipped – ending argument:  pushing it could turn my 2 day break into 3 or more.   Ok the trip was totally worth it… even if I had a bit of a sick Monday but I really want to be back on my feet tomorrow-  it’s unbelievable but my shoes are still in the suitcase!!

So I’ve joked about 80-90% percent being my drug of choice – you know zone 5 heart rate wise… and everyone has heard of the so-called ‘runner’s high’ – I think it was a big catch phrase in the 1980’s.  Well, a recent study actually confirms this high; this running addiction by showing that intense running can actually release brain chemicals that replicate the sense of euphoria that opiate users experience.  …. . read it, it’s really quite interesting: Runner’s High.   Perhaps some runners out there will be like “well, duh Sonal everyone knows this…” but really, I didn’t.  I chalked up my sense of euphoria during long runs to the fact that I was showing my body who is boss – the sense of accomplishment of pushing it just a little further – not brain chemicals telling me that my long run is the same thing as shooting heroin!   

There is also more scientific info on getting that perfect high and the formula varies from person to person: Perfect Running Pace Revealed . Every runner “has an optimal running pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a given distance” and this pace is the key to a runner’s nirvana.  This is interesting because the study shows that on average, this pace is 6.5 mph (9:08 min/mile) for females… furthermore, running slower than 4.5 (13 min/mile) is the least efficient pace – something about the run/walk resulting in an awkward gait.   Maybe it’s true – the 9 minute pace has been a thorn in my side for a while – I broke it the last few races – I think my fastest 10K is was an 8:18 pace and my last half was at an 8:40 pace – but I will tell you I was NOT high during these runs – just in pain!  Long training runs at the slower pace do make me feel good – I feel in control, powerful, alive and hell, even young…. I guess that translates to a high, a certain nirvana. – well, if all this science is true…then I guess I will continue to get high several times a week.